1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus for covering an open container on a vehicle to prevent loss of the contents while the vehicle is moving, and more specifically, this invention relates to an hydraulically actuated arrangement for covering large garbage containers that are placed on the beds of appropriate transporting trucks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Large open containers for various substances, such as garbage, waste, sand and chips, are placed on vehicles, such as large trucks, for transporting. During the transportation of these open containers, it is desirable to cover the open top of the container so that the material therein will not be blown or bounced out.
Various methods have been used in the past to cover such large open containers, including the hand fastening of a tarpaulin over the top of the container. More mechanized approaches have included hand-actuated cranks and various electrically, pneumatically and hydraulically actuated systems. While some of these approaches have been quite useful for covering open top vehicles, such as dump trucks, there have been a number of disadvantages and problems.
One common type of approach has been to utilize a pair of pivoted elongated arms to carry the cover over the opening to be closed. Various types of drive mechanisms have been utilized for these arms, and in most cases the cover is pulled off a spool or roller on which it has been wound. In order to rewind the cover, a suitable force, usually provided by a large return spring, has been utilized. This means that the driving mechanism must overcome the force of the return spring, which requires a greater source of power. In addition, the force exerted on the pivoted arms could bend or distort the arms, unless they are made sufficiently strong. Arms made sufficiently strong are heavier, which requires another increase in the power of the driving mechanism.
Another factor is that most cover arrangements are utilized for a fixed structure, such as the bed of a dump truck. However, when the cover is to be utilized with a transportable container, the containers may be of different heights. With a fixed height for the cover support, it means that some containers will not be adequately closed by the cover.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a covering apparatus for containers on transporting vehicles which can be non-manually actuated to close open top containers having a variety of different heights. In addition, the apparatus should be relatively light weight and require as little actuating power as possible.